


Calling For Help

by Silver_KnightShade



Series: Consequences [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: A new team was built, Clothing problems, Conspiring happens now, Don't kill me please, Gen, Good natured teasing, Hurt Tony Stark, I apologize for it, Not A Fix-It, Not Beta Read, Oh Bruce is lucky she loves him, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Restraining orders served, Reveals of interactions, Slippery cousins, Team taking care of their own, Trying to keep things as close with changing only a little bit, What Jennifer is dealing with, alliances made, cousins being cousins, crap happens, idk if i succeeded, progression, there are reasons you don't make powerful people mad, there is probably some OoC-ness, this is one of them, yay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-05
Updated: 2017-07-28
Packaged: 2018-10-28 09:09:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10828173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silver_KnightShade/pseuds/Silver_KnightShade
Summary: A call was made...but not from the phones you think.Or - How Jennifer was wrangled into this mess by her worried cousin.





	1. First Call

**Author's Note:**

> I had some notes and wanted to work with Jennifer a bit more as I work out some of my other problems with future installments so I decided to focus on just how our lovely lawyer got mixed up in this.
> 
> So I hope you enjoy this lovely little turn about with Jen as we continue this journey!
> 
> Also thank you all for your patience when it comes to this series as right now my family and I are in the middle of packing, being emotionally and mentally burnt out and dealing with companies who are not being nice whilst we are trying to move...I swear if coffee wasn't my addiction of choice I probably would have burnt a few bridges by now. X.x 
> 
> Anywho, Love you all and look forward to seeing you in this quest!!

# First Call

Jennifer Walters was sitting in her living room on her couch going over the papers for her latest case. She was only called for advice on this one and they were not going to trial. It was a nice to not go to court for something that was simple to solve without a judge. It wasn’t necessary to go over it now but there was nothing on TV and the news stations were still stuck on this “Civil War”, something if she could avoid that she would. That was a mess she didn’t even know if she could handle.

As she was near the end of the last page, her home phone began ringing. The woman looked up confused for a moment. It was well after 9 pm, no one called this late without a reason and lately, no one really called her much anyway. Well, there were a few friends from the law firm but other than that her other friends she hasn’t heard from them in such a long time. It could be a number of people she just wasn’t expecting someone to call.

Getting up and heading to the kitchen, the lawyer took the phone from its cradle on the wall and brought it to her ear.

“Hello, Walters residence, Jennifer speaking,” she spoke into the receiver.

There was a moment of silence and Jen wasn’t sure if there was someone there or not. Giving it another second, the woman was going to hang up then she heard the person on the other end drag in a breath. It was a half second later they spoke.

“Jen,”

“Bruce!” All of a sudden questions flew out of her mouth before she could stop them. How was he? Is he okay? Is he eating enough? Much to the Doctor’s credit, he took it in stride, tight humor in his voice, as if he was afraid to be caught yet wanted to laugh and finally after a few minutes he was able to convince his cousin he was indeed alright, all things given anyway.

It was only after the woman calmed down that she was finally able to ask if he needed anything. He clammed up for a minute or two before he was able to even say something. It had to be a huge deal otherwise he would have said something by now. Leaning against the wall by the phone cradle she waited patiently for her cousin to say what he needed to.

“I need a favor…I didn’t want to ask this of you after everything I put you through.”

The woman bit her lip and she sighed. She knew Bruce felt responsible for having She-Hulk come into existence but Jennifer wouldn’t have changed a thing. I mean with Ross she had to be careful but the She-Hulk side of her was nothing evil, she was in complete control which was good as she was having harder and harder times changing back from her green form, soon she knew She-Hulk would be the constant state she was in and had no problem with that…her cousin saw it differently, however. He blamed himself for it all.

“It wasn’t your fault…with out you I would have died.”

“But still-”

“But nothing, now what do you need?”

“I need you to check on Tony for me,” he stated with uncertainty.

“Tony?”

“Tony Stark…I had worked with him before and well, whereas the ‘Civil War’ was covered, I haven’t seen anything on him and I am worried. I heard he didn’t walk out of Siberia and I am terrified what happened. I didn’t even know he went to Siberia, no one did…I just I don’t know…I need to know he's okay...”

This is where being cousins, unfortunately, reared its head…Jen couldn’t pass it up either. It may have taken her a few minutes to fully connect the dots because Bruce had told her about Tony. She felt a little silly for a moment when it came to remembering it. Yet, as any good relative would she was not going to let this pass her by.

“You want me to check on you boyfriend?” She questioned and sure enough, she got a good-humored groan out of it.

“Really, Jen? Science Bros, not boyfriends.”

“I swear I wonder sometimes,” she stated with a good-natured shrug of her shoulders, even if he couldn’t see it, sounding innocent enough. It did get a small chuckle out of him for what it was worth.

“Well, keep wondering,” he muttered back as if he was looking over his shoulders for something, “If it wasn’t for circumstances, you know I would be back to look myself…”

“Bruce…” Jen knew what he meant. Because of Tony Stark, Bruce had felt like he belonged for the first time in a long time. He accepted Bruce and the Hulk…he didn’t see either of them as dangerous. Tony saw him as a friend, a human…not a monster.

“Please Jen, I need to know that he’s okay. I can’t come back yet, not with Ross there…I can’t face him yet.”

There was desperation in his voice. Bruce was at his wit's end…he truly regretted leaving Tony to deal with everything but he also knew Ross was going to be coming after him and he was not safe even if Tony tried. He had to leave to keep the Avengers and himself safe but ended up only making sure that Iron Man was left with very few in his corner. This was the only thing he could think of to help level the playing field and she knew it. Bruce would never drag her into something if he could help it.

“Alright, I’ll look into it.”

“Thank you, Jen, Thank you so much.”

“You owe me big time, Bruce, I expect when you come back you are going to owe me food to make up for this for at least a month,” There was some slight teasing in her voice, enough for the other man to know he was not in serious trouble. He seemingly got the message as he gave a light chuckle…Jen could see in her mind's eye that he would have nodded lightly with a small smile on his face. Like he always did when they were able to be playful cousins.

“I’ll cook for a year for you for this, Jen. Thank you so much…I’ll call again a little bit. About a couple weeks, maybe a month.”

“From China?”

“Maybe…Try Thailand…or something similar,” he replied…of course he couldn’t give her a straight answer. You never know who could be listening. Luckily, they avoid all those sorts of things on the phone, this was not one that could be avoided though. Not like anyone was going to do anything...for now.

“I look forward to it Bruce…stay safe.”

“Same to you, bye Jen,”

He hung up first, at least though it wasn’t the rushed sound of the phone being slammed onto the cradle. He was doing okay for now. Still, now the lawyer had a whole new mess to deal with. Groaning, she placed the phone back on the hook and sighed. The things you do for family…

“So much for not getting involved…dammit, you are lucky I love you, cuz.”

**~~~*~~~**

It took a few days for Jennifer to have enough time to call up Stark Tower, as it was renamed again, to make an appointment. She was just going to have a meeting scheduled before doing as much research as she could on her own. Then she could take what she had to her cousin when they talked she could bring him up to speed without overwhelming him. So after she did her errands she came back to her home and got changed, putting on her jewelry whilst she called Stark Tower. Not that she had anything to do but maybe she would go out to a cafe or something for a little while, unwind for a bit. That sounded wonderful right now.

The called was picked up on the second ring by a young woman with a chipper but soft voice. She was pleasant enough to speak with and asked what Jennifer had been calling for. 

“I would like to make an appointment to meet with Miss Potts if possible,” replied quickly.

“Certainly,” the young woman replied as she typed away on her keyboard, “When would you like the appointment.”

“The closest open date, please,” Jennifer replied simply as she was placing in an earring. She knew Miss Potts was probably very busy, the only reason she was back in New York was because something had happened to Dr. Stark. It wasn’t the official reason but it was the only one she could think of.

“Alright, may I get your name?”

“Jennifer Walters, from the DA’s Office,” the lawyer riddled off without thinking, it was what she normally did and it was just second nature. 

“Alright,” It was then there was another ringing, it was odd but it got the attention of both herself and the secretary, “…hang on one moment please, I have a call on the other line.”

“Certainly,” Jen replied and was a little put-off. The young secretary obviously was dealing with someone that kinda scared her but it was okay…mostly. When the young woman came back after about a minute.

“Umm, perchance are you available right now?” She asked as if she was praying to some deity that Jennifer didn’t know about that Jen said yes.

“…Yes, I am but-”

“Miss Potts will see you as soon as you get here,” the secretary interrupted.

“Alright, I will be there within a half an hour,” Jen said and was quickly told she would be seen there and was hung up on. Looks like she would be getting that information quicker than even she thought she would.

Well…that was fast…

**~~~*~~~**

Getting to the Tower was easy enough and as soon as she entered, Jennifer was flagged down by someone in the lobby. He was taller, a little on the hefty side but had a good demeanor to him with a serious face. She walked to him to see what he wanted, as he looked like he belonged here, but was surprised when he spoke first. 

“Miss Walters?”

“Yes, that is me,” she replied quickly wondering where this was going. 

“I’m Harold Hogan, I was asked to bring you up to see Miss Potts,” he stated and she let a little surprise grace her features before a thankful smile took hold.

“Thank you, please lead the way,”

Following the man to a private elevator, Jen was ready for anything. She was not dressed completely professional but enough to where she wouldn’t be questioned about it. The silence was comfortable but she was a little anxious about how long it was quiet. It wasn’t the longest elevator ride she had been on but she was going pretty high up in the tower. Once they exited, her anxiousness went down, they passed by a young woman at a desk who smiled at them and waved them to go on through.

Passing the young lady with a nod, Harold opened the door for them both and allowed her to pass through following quickly afterward. Miss Potts wasn’t alone, she had a man in a wheelchair with her as they were both waiting in front of her desk. The room felt warm for the moment yet she knew it wasn't going to last long. Anyone who knew anything would recognize Colonel James Rhodes because of just how entwined he was with not only Tony Stark but also Miss Potts. They looked over in the direction Harold and she had come from when they started to get closer. 

“Thank you, for meeting me on such short notice, Miss Potts, Colonel Rhodes,” Jennifer said and shook the woman’s hand and then went over to shake the Colonel's hand as well. 

“Not a problem, I wanted to see what the DA needed as soon as possible,” Colonel Rhodes stated only to be met with the sound of a slap. Looking over to her, they all saw she had face-palmed herself…for some reason. “What?”

“I’m sorry,” Jennifer stated, “The business I am here on is more personal. When I called to make an appointment I must have just riddled off my position with the DA by accident. I am so used to doing that more than making personal visits…I am so, so sorry.”

This causes not only Miss Potts to chuckle but Harold and Colonel Rhodes as well. Least her mistake was taken in stride, as she herself had a small self-deprecating smile on her face. They kinda relaxed a little bit which was good as Jennifer was certain as soon as she started to talk about what she was here for there would be resistance…but she would not back down.

“I know what you mean, please though, since you are here what did you need?”

“I came here by the request of a Dr. Bruce Banner, he was inquiring about the state of Dr. Stark,” she replied and after that, she swore the room dropped a couple degrees. The friendly demeanor of the people she was in the presences of had vanished and all that was left was a shimmering frost.

“You can tell him his concern isn’t needed,” the red head stated sharply.

“Really?”

“He left Tony when Tony needed him most,” she continued with Rhodes and Hogan watching the batting match, their side clearly chosen.

“He left because Dr. Stark urged him to because of the threats,” countered the lawyer.

“He left Tony to deal with the downfall! I don’t want Banner anywhere near him!”

“Where I understand your position on the matter you as well do not have much of a leg to stand on if anything Bruce has told me is true,” Jennifer started the lawyer side of her coming out with ruthlessness, “You left him, Miss Potts, because you couldn’t handle what he wants to do and now isn’t that selfish? What happened to supporting them? I am not fond in the least of my cousin running off to God knows where but I still support him. Also, Colonel Rhodes what about you when you didn’t do anything when Thor lifted him up by his neck? I can understand not physically doing anything, Thor is a God after all yet you said nothing either! To judge Bruce based upon your own actions makes you hypocrites…He might not be the best but at least he is trying…I haven’t heard anything about you though Mr. Hogan if anything you seem to be the truest friend Dr. Stark has these days…”

Miss Potts and Colonel Rhodes had the decency to look a little ashamed but what she had stated was it was true. They had their faults, their problems and only seem to band together when Tony was hurt but not standing there when he was well…Jennifer had hit them where it hurt and where Mr. Hogan looked upset it was not with any malice toward her. This also showed them how much Bruce trusted her, hearing that she was his cousin was not nearly as shocking as it could have been, and by default how much Tony trusted Bruce with such information. She had gotten through to them a little bit but she knew there was a little more to go. Her time in court was serving her well right now.

“Still, I’m surprised he cares,” murmured the CEO.

“If he didn’t he wouldn’t have asked me to come,” she shot back.

“If he cared why isn’t he here!?” Potts exclaimed without her voice rising much at all. Now was the time for Jennifer’s final card.

“Because of Ross.”

“What?” questioned Rhodes after a moment of silence.

“General Thaddeus Ross is the reason Bruce exists as the Hulk,” Jennifer started, “Bruce had been dating the General’s daughter and was working on a project under Ross’ supervision. Needless to say, when things went awry and the Hulk was created, Bruce was looking for a cure. When Ross figured that out he rejected that line of thinking. He wanted more Hulks. He wants to recreate what Bruce had done…an army of Hulks. Bruce told me more than once, Ross wants to lock him in a little room with no space for him to even turn around…a lab rat, for lack of a better term.”

“Fucking hell…” Colonel Rhodes stated.

“Dr. Stark was also the one who kept Bruce safe…safe enough he could come visit me and that was something I was so grateful for. Bruce and I are really close and with him on the run…well obviously, we never had much time. Dr. Stark's intervention was a blessing. My cousin means the world to me…he saved my life once before but at the same time made it more difficult. He still hates himself for it…I’m sure you’ve heard of the She-Hulk correct?”

That was when things clicked for them. Jennifer had ousted herself to them. They looked at her bewildered. She was willing to place herself in danger to check on Tony Stark for her cousin…for after the ‘Civil War’ no one really knew where Tony Stark stood on the matter personally but was still supportive of superheroes. She at least knew her secret would be safe with them for the time being. Silence claimed the area and whatever frost had come with the reveal of her true intent for the visit had disappeared. It wasn't as warm as before but it was a tolerable.

“Shit…” Harold stated.

“So, Ross knows about you?” Pepper asked lightly. With this new information, the redhead seemed to come to the conclusion she wasn't dealing with someone who was going to hurt their interests...but could probably help them.

“He knows there is a She-Hulk but I can still hide who I am. He doesn’t have evidence but I am pretty sure he assumes as much. It is getting to a point where I will not be able to do that but for now, I can hide.”

“We have our work cut out for us.” Miss Potts concluded as she walked back around her desk to sit. There was something there, something she could grasp onto if she did it right. Just what it was, she didn’t know. Jennifer just didn’t know what but Bruce was worth the risk. Glancing at the CEO with curiosity on her face, time to see just what could be salvaged.

“What do you mean?” Jennifer asked.

“Someone like Ross has to be taken care of…” Colonel Rhodes began obviously taking a cue from the CEO, there was definitely something going on that Jennifer was unaware of…something that she was most likely going to be part of. “Tony had been collecting everything that General Ross had been doing. He has to get Ross taken off the Accords for it to do any good.”

“I see…” Jen stated simply…

“Two birds, one stone,” the redhead concluded, “We could use some legal advice, any other information about this man you can provide and in return, we will give you updates on how Tony is doing.”

“Hmm…” Jennifer contemplated a small smile on her face, this wasn’t exactly what she was going for but it would allow Bruce to come back sooner and then he could apologize to the defensive trio himself. Also it would get a dangerous man out of their lives and let the superheroes and enhance alike room to breath, “Between friends, I am allowed to offer advice and help you outline your case, I can’t represent you or the case in court as my position in the DA could be seen as conflict of interest, but I have a few friends who could definitely take whatever you have and produce an open and shut case.”

The smiles on the faces of the people that thought of Tony Stark as family were enough to know she had made the right choice. They were going to have a rather productive afternoon. Yet, part of her knew she was going to continue getting dragged further into this mess than she initially wanted…but if justice was brought to the those who were being denied, then Jennifer was going to do what she did best. The woman didn’t work for the DA being just another pretty face after all.

“Are you busy the rest of the afternoon, Miss Walters? I have a feeling this could take a while,” Miss Potts asked while lacing her finger together and setting them on her desk.

“Not particularly,” Jen replied as she took her seat on the opposite side of the desk that Harold had pulled out for her. Setting down her bag beside her chair, Jen was ready for whatever they were going to throw her way, “I completed what I needed earlier. Any plans I was going to have I were never made after I called to make the initial appointment.”

“Order in some bulk coffee Happy, were going to be here for the rest of the day,” Miss Potts stated smiling at the man.

“Of course, Miss Potts,” the man said grinning and left for a moment whilst the CEO, the Colonel, and the Lawyer began making their battle plan. The room once more was warm.


	2. Second Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jennifer's life becomes more complicated but after what Bruce revealed to her in his second call...she isn't sorry for any of it. In fact, the only reason she isn't green is that she doesn't have a target.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well...life sucks, was planning on having this out about a week ago but life has been a pain. I am not the best when it comes to not getting sick in the summer. The heat and I just don't agree...so 'lack of sleep' plus 'heat' seems to equal 'I can't get crap done to save my life'...-.-' I can't win. But I am feeling a tad bit better and finished this up...I think it turned out alright but I didn't want to linger too much on it as the last chapter is going to be the longest.
> 
> So to the ones that liked and commented, thank you so much! I am happy to see there are people enjoying this and I will try to get the third chapter done in a decent time frame...here is hoping I don't get sick again. 
> 
> Anyway, not beta-read, so there probably some mistake I may find and fix later or you might but yeah...
> 
> Love you all and enjoy!

# 

Second Call

When Bruce called her next it was about a couple months later…

A lot has happened too…

Jennifer had spent most of her free time on the case against General Ross with Miss Potts (call me Pepper), Colonel Rhodes (Rhodey is fine), and who she believed was a hacker and engineer under the code name of FRIDAY. Harold (feel free to call me Happy) always met her in the lobby and brought her up where they would conspire for the afternoon and well into the evening until they had a case strong enough to deal with Ross. She spends at least two days a week with them while taking care of her DA duties. The only thing left to do was to run it by Tony Stark himself.

Over the weeks Jennifer had learned just what they think had happened. Vision, the android she had seen on the news, had brought him in after FRIDAY was able to pinpoint the last location of the suit. There was a small safety measure that when the suit was losing power it would send out one last beacon that FRIDAY could find. When she did receive the signal, she sent out Vision while simultaneously contacting the UN Accords Committee, she spun a little lie so that the attention would not be on her boss, letting them know due to Ross’ orders Tony Stark was currently stranded in Siberia because something happened to the suit. What was also placed in that memo was that Vision had headed out to retrieve his father. 

The UN Accords Committee had no problem approving the rescue as they didn’t wish to lose a standing member that listened to the Accords. Leaving him to die would not only be inhuman and cause a huge amount of backlash from the public, as they would have proven Rogers correct. That the heroes would have their hands tied and could be thrown away at a moments notice. They also took a closer look at Ross, this would keep Ross away from Tony, which was FRIDAY’s plan from the get go. Boss would have time to recover…no one knew how much he would need it.

When Vision reached his father…there was nothing that could prepare him for what he saw. Reporting back to the UN on what he found Vision rushed his father to the closest hospital that was associated with the Stark name. From there they got him back to the Tower. He had to be hooked up the entire way back…they would have done more but they had issues removing the armor and they were frightened about what might they might disturb underneath. The UN was kept in the loop about what was going to happen concerning Tony Stark via Pepper and what she thought was wise to share.

After getting back to the Tower…they discovered the damage that was done. Vision with the help of FRIDAY had to dismantle the armor piece by piece, sometimes even cutting it off bit by bit to get to Tony. When they got him out he had to go straight into surgery. It looked bad when they sent him in but it was worse than they ever though. They knew about him being on the brink of hypothermia and the deep marring bruises that nearly appeared black. They didn’t know how much damage had been done inside. Many cracked ribs his normal ones and the artificial ones he had placed in. Even the false sternum was not in the correct place and cracked. Because they had caved in due to the pressure that they had experienced, this had his heart and lungs were having to work harder. The worst part were the pieces of the armor that had been beaten into him…

Jennifer was beside herself when she heard what happened. Her eyes reflected a green for a while afterward. She assured Pepper she had a lot more control than her cousin but hearing what she had, the lawyer wished she had known about everything earlier. She would have done what she had to so Tony wouldn’t have suffered this much. The lawyer would never want someone to go through everything like that. Pepper smiled sadly at her knowing completely what she meant.

So now Tony was in ongoing recovery. Just when they thought they had one thing taken care of another problem popped up. Right now the man was still building up what he could for lung muscles, as they were still causing him problems. So, they have him bed ridden for now. He hasn’t been there the entire time. They have him cycles because they never know what could trigger the next unseen issue as keeping him sedated was just as risky as keeping him awake. So they have set up a system based on what they see and what Tony tells them. To their surprise, he was working with them because he still had too much to do to die right now.

For the time being Tony was awake, he had been alert the past few days and it seemed this was going to be a good day. As they are judging if it were a good or bad day due to how he feels. It was good they didn’t need to put him under as that itself can cause issues for the body. So without telling Jennifer what was going on, they took her to see him. She thought they maybe wanted a break from the main office. That was where they went to do the main amount of their work. When they ended up in the medical part of the tower for a moment Jenn was confused. Noticing the confused look on the lawyer’s face, Pepper told her what was going on.

“Tony asked to meet you. On the days he was out you took the information he gathered and helped us further the case. We can literally take this case and now have a higher chance of officially get rid of Ross,” Pepper stated simply but her eyes gave away just how happy she truly was. That was one less obstacle that in the way of Bruce coming back. Jenn didn’t bother fighting the smile on her face, they were beginning to make progress.

Entering the room she was met with the sight of the one and only Tony Stark was getting unhooked from a ventilator that was helping him breathe when it became too much of a strain. She had been told privately by Rhodey that when Tony complained about shortness of breath they found it easier for him to hook him up to the ventilator for a little while. No one like it but it seemed to help. He needed it less and less so his lungs were recovering and well from what the doctors could see. He went straight to an oxygen mask though. Like they stated they were taking no chances.

Turning his head toward the door he waved the everyone in. Jennifer had kinda forgotten that there was more than just her and Pepper heading to see him because the men of their group had been silent for the small time they were walking. If she didn’t know any better she would say they were being shy but she knew that these guys were probably only quiet because Pepper had everything under control. They would jump in wherever they were needed but seems the one to truly be afraid of was the CEO.

“So, you’re Miss Walters? Pep’s told me a lot about you. More than Bruce did but yeah,” Tony stated his voice was hoarse because of the air masks but he seemed to be doing well, “Thank you for helping in my absences. Not my ideal choice but you know could be worse.”

“As I told Pepper before, because of you I had my cousin with me for a while. I would have never had that if it weren’t for you. I wanted to help…so did Bruce…” responded Jennifer.

There was a twinkle in those brown eyes and an easy smile, even though it was obvious there was pain etched into both. He was happy that even that far away Bruce was trying to help him. It was something that she was pretty sure that not even Tony counted on happening. Jenn watched as Pepper walked around the bed and stood on the billionaire's other side, grabbing his hand, she began talking about a few things Jennifer was not aware of but obviously was something that wasn’t needed to be kept secret.

As they were talking Pepper told him what she had done with the compound. Where yes, he was sad to see things going that route, he understood. There were too many bad memories there for it to be comfortable for anyone. She also made mention of teaming up with the UN who were going to bring in other big companies from around the world to help sponsor a new HQ for the Avengers. It was the best bet to keep them safe and they could establish more than one branch in other countries. Things that for the moment that Jennifer didn’t need to know but she had a feeling may be vital later. It wasn’t anything that needed to be hidden either as for now it was all talk.

The plan for the New HQ was good but there was just one little problem. Which was good but since the Avengers ranks have noticeably shrunk things were still going to be hard. That is when Jennifer brought up as soon as Ross was taken care of, she would be signing the Accords and trying out for the Avengers. It would be part-time but she can’t sit on the sidelines anymore. When the time came she would like to be registered for the Avengers. The lawyer was also sure Bruce would sign them too once Ross was gone. Hearing that made the billionaire blink a few times before a small smile took over. 

It was then that Jennifer was really introduced to FRIDAY. She had not thought FRIDAY was an AI. That had not crossed her mind. A hacker using a voice manipulator yes, not an AI. The funny thing was the two hit it off fairly easily in the beginning and this didn’t change with the reveal. As Jenn was not doing anything that would end up hurting her Boss. Having been watched by an AI for a while was something new to her but she actually accepted it with no problem. As if the AI had eyes all around, that made her feel safer than not.

Then they discussed the changes the Accords would need, as now the Stark Legal branch could now take care of getting rid of Ross. In fact, Pepper had sent everything they had gathered over to the Legal Branch so they could have some fun ripping into the Secretary of Defense. They had come up with a fairly long list of things that needed to be changed for the Accords to do any good. By the end of the day, they had their work cut out for them. The wonderful thing was with the majority of the work done with Ross they could start working on these amendments and have them presentable to the UN soon after Ross was out.

They were surprised when Jennifer asked to help out with those too. After being asked why she would want to help them more than she already had, the woman just smiled and shook her head boiling down her explanation into something a bit more simple. Something she didn’t have to explain besides the fact she had grown fond of the ones she was working with here she wanted to do more.

“It is going to be affecting me too from now on. The least I can do help fix it. Not just for me but for others too because I have the skills to help. What good are they if I don’t put those skills to use.”

There was a pause, before Tony spoke up, his voice doing better and better, “You’ll make a great hero, Miss Walters.”

“If we are going to be working together, I think you should just start calling me Jennifer.”

“What will you call me if, I don’t?” Tony stated with his serious-but-joking voice.

“Dr. Stark.”

“Nope, no, not happening, call me Tony,” the bedridden man riddled off to the amusement of everyone in the room. He then reached out with his one free hand and the lawyer took it in her own shaking the man’s hand firmly.

“I think I can agree to those terms.”

“It will a great pleasure to work with you, Jennifer.”

“I share the sentiment, Tony.”

From there Vision phased through the floor and actually freaked Jennifer. Two things happened, she dropped Tony’s hand from her own really fast, fearing she may hurt him, and it scared her out enough that her skin tinged a bit green. She composed herself a lot faster than her cousin had done in times prior. They were going to have her meet Vision soon but not that way. If anyone had doubts about the She-Hulk thing, this kinda sorta cleared that all up more than the eye color shift. Jennifer took it in stride though.

“Could you give me some warning before you do that,” Jennifer started, “I may have better control than my cousin but that doesn’t mean I can’t hurt you.”

“My apologies, I will try harder to make myself known in an earlier time frame,” the android responded matter-of-factly.

“Good to know,” the lawyer quipped back while placing a hand over her heart. She and Vision though curious of one another seemed to hit it off okay. There was room for improvement but to her defense, the Android scared her first. She was sure they would get along though, which made even Vision smile, just a little.

From there on she continued making trips to the Tower on her days off to help outline the changes that they wanted to make. She also made better friends with everyone there. Including the young Spider-Man that would swing by from time to time. He was a little freaked out when he first met her but revealing that she may be a future ally of his got him to relax…a little bit. That boy was more hyper than she and Bruce had been as kids.

There was also more personal changes. One being her change in position. She ended up leaving the DA’s office and where they were devastated to lose her, Jennifer had confided in them that she herself would have been affected by the Accords and didn’t wish for there to be a conflict of interests. Understanding, they let her go with a glowing letter of recommendation. The ones she was friends with would keep in contact and if she needed anything to let them know.

There was one hell of a surprise though. Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg, & Holliway law firm called her up. They were a well-known law firm and were interested in hiring her for the Superhuman division. First, she wanted to know how they knew…apparently one of her friends from the DA called them up and said Jenn was one to get a hold of for their future division. She accepted but asked to have some time before she began working there, as she was aiding a few friends and needed time for them because they were working on something that was taking up a good amount of time. They agreed and were happy to have her on board.

With everything going on Jennifer didn’t notice that two months had gone by. She was going over the word usage for the amendment that was dealing with having all the super/mutant humans registered. She could understand the ones that were felons or serial offenders going onto a list but the ones that just want to be left alone should have that right. That list could very well be used as hit list and it was an invasion of privacy to the people who just want to be left alone. 

When Bruce finally managed to call, they were almost a month into the trial with Ross. Tony was back under because he was having breathing problems again. They also had another surgery due to repair some of the muscles damage and remove some more of the armor slivers that were still in his body. They got the majority out with the first surgery but they find tiny little pieces every now and then in x-rays, that though wouldn’t kill Tony but cause him discomfort if they were not taken care of.

“Hey cuz, you missed your due date a while ago,” Jenn said into the phone that came up a Korean number. Tony gave her a better caller ID, payment for helping with Ross is what he told her, that would allow her figure out who was calling and to better anticipate if it was Bruce or not. Hearing the man chuckle on the other side of the phone kinda made it all worth it.

“How bad is it?”

“Bruce…I don’t know where to start…” Jennifer began.

First, she told him of her personal changes. The fact she was going to sign the Accords and was working with Tony, Pepper, Rhodey, and Vision to amend the shit out of that thing. It was something that could do a lot of good. Once Ross was gone she was going to be seeing if she could be allowed to be a part-time Avenger as well as keep her career but if she had to choose she would give up being a lawyer for a little while to help people. Then again, she may be able to work out an agreement between the Avengers and her career.

They were also scouting for other useful candidates the Avengers. The ranks had noticeably shrunk after the ‘Civil War’ and many of them were now labeled terrorists. However, there were a few candidates that stood out. Spider-man was an obvious one. Then there was a one ‘Captain Marvel’ that was beginning to show interest in the Avengers. There were also a few that would be taken on as Allies. They were not Avengers as they had their own things to deal with but if they were in the area or had the time they were willing to be called in. There was a few for that one Daredevil, Dr. Strange, and Jessica Jones to name a few of them. In return, if they needed help they could call upon the Avengers.

Then came the dreaded topic of the Civil War…she saved the worst for last and just spilled everything she had been told. Jennifer could hear Bruce trying to keep his breathing in check when it came to Siberia. She didn’t know what caused the fight but obviously, it was something that made Captain America try to beat Iron Man to death and leave his shield behind as a sort of calling card. All of Tony’s major injuries could be linked back to that shield. 

“They left him for dead in Siberia…Captain America left him for dead…I just…” Jennifer was nearly beside herself as she spoke. It upset her each time to think someone who thought of you as a friend could do that to another person.

“Jenn…I don’t know what to do…” Bruce sounded like he was trying to think up a solution.

“You are going to keep your head down till it is safe for you to come back, Bruce. Tony is going to need you,” Jenn fought through her own emotional turmoil to tell her cousin exactly what he needed to do. There was a small half-laugh from the other side of the line before Bruce continued.

“I know…but…when I come back, I may be cooking for you for a year,”

“You need another favor?”

“Yes…May I hired you to keep the terrorists away from Tony?”

“What do you mean?”

“It is only a matter of time before they somehow come back,” Bruce began and Jenn was sure there was more than what she knew, “I will bet my money that someone is hiding them. For one; it has to be someone with some kind of power…they wouldn’t be so quiet if it wasn't and two; there are not many people who can do that. When they come back they may feel their actions are justified and they might try to have everything go back to what they wanted…Jennifer, they're horrible to Tony. I am sure Tony has all evidence from it and I am sure you could get it from him. You are more persuasive than I am. He shouldn’t have been on the team…not because he wasn’t good enough for it but because he is a man trying to make up for his past, he would just take whatever they gave him thinking he deserved it…he doesn’t. Tony is one of the kindest men I had ever met and the Avengers…they just used him.”

There was silence for a moment or two before Jennifer started talking again. She had let the new information sink in and she felt disgusted now. The lawyer didn’t know how bad it was for Tony before Bruce said anything. No, now she knew why Tony was left to die by himself…because somewhere in the Avengers consciousness Tony was nothing that couldn’t be replaced. He was useable and when they were done with him he could just be tossed away…but they kept coming back to the billionaire because they needed him and his money to make their lives easier. Never realizing that they, in fact, needed him. If he died they were shit outta luck and would never realize till it was too late. Tony may have seen the abuse as penance for his past with the way he was treated…or maybe he didn't see the abuse at all...both options made her stomach turn.

If there was a way to see red, the lawyer's vision would have been bathed in it.

“You know what…” Jennifer started off casually, “I need a Pro-bono case every now and then and I think this one fits my criteria. However, feel free to come and cook anytime.”

“Jenn…” Bruce stated. Clearly, this was not what he wanting…not wanting Jennifer to do this for free but she cut him off before he could try to convince her else wise.

“Tony has become my friend over the past month too, dear cousin…and soon he will be a co-worker of mine…I am not going to allow people to walk over him.”

It was quiet for a moment or two…if it wasn't for her cousin’s calm breathing she would have thought he had hung up on her.

“Jenn, you’re my hero,” the man said in a breath.

“You were always mine, Bruce, I’ll let you go…I think I kept you too long. Be safe.”

“You as well, I’ll see you soon Jenn. Thank you…for everything.”

Jennifer smiled and replied to him before she heard nothing but a deadline. Hanging up her house line she grabbed her Starkphone and sent Pepper a message. Jenn needed to know when Pepper, Rhodey, Happy, Vision and FRIDAY were all free. After sending the message, the She-Hulk went to bed. The reply would be there in the morning. She would need her energy for the next day because she had a lot of sorting to do.

**~~~*~~~**

The day came and Happy once more came to get Jennifer from the Lobby of Stark Tower. However, instead of comfy business clothes, she came dressed in a full suit. This got Happy’s mind going a little bit but when asked Jennifer said it was something that needed to be addressed as a group. He nodded and brought her up to where the others were waiting. They too noticed her state of dress and had taken to be a little more on the stiff side.

“Hello everyone,” Jenn greeted with a smile as she walked up to the table and just stood there while Happy took his place next to Pepper who was sitting down on the right side of the table. Vision was to Jennifer’s left and Rhodey directly across from her. They all had their guard up.

“Jenn…what’s going on?” Happy asked again. Taking a deep breath Jennifer blurted out the first thing she wanted to get cleared up.

“Well, I came to tell you I was hired privately for a case…so, I may not be able to help with the Accords ratification as much as I would like too for the moment,” it wasn’t rehearsed but it was the better lead than ‘I can’t work on the accords I am busy’ sort of thing. They had a right to know that she couldn’t work on the Accords very much but was still available for counseling if it was needed.

Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.

“Dear Lord, you had us worried there Jennifer,” Rhodey said letting out a breath. Jenn smiled a bit but continued forward. There was more she had to clear up. Taking a manilla folder from her briefcase she opened it and looked it over before speaking again.

“The other thing was,” the lawyer continued, “That my case may affect you all so I wanted to be as clear with you as possible.”

“Certainly, may we ask what it is about?” Pepper asked cautiously. The lawyer nodded and handed the folder she took out of her briefcase to Pepper. When the red head looked at the contents her head whipped up to meet a slightly smiling Jennifer, “This is-” The CEO couldn’t put it into words a slight twitch of her lips made it look like Pepper wanted to smile and laugh but Jennifer picked up the slack to clarify for the others who were not looking at the papers.

“Dr. Bruce Banner hired me to look into keeping the ‘Avengers’ away from Dr. Anthony Stark. He feels their return is inevitable and wants to keep Dr. Stark protected from his abusers. I was wondering if I would be able to count on your support through this endeavor.”

The look on Pepper’s face went from a joyful shock to a wicked smile in a matter of seconds at the confirmation of what she thought the papers held. The same could be said for Rhodey and Happy, whilst Vision remained composed but nodded in her direction and FRIDAY hummed in approval. She was for it and so were the others… It was not something they were expecting and were trying to get Ross sorted out so they could deal with the Avengers as well…Bruce just stepped up to the plate a lot earlier than they had thought. Proving he was indeed interested in what was best for Tony.

“Well, Miss Walters, I think we have some evidence you can work with,” Pepper chimed with an innocent tone that everyone at the table knew was anything but. She handed the papers back to Jennifer who took them and places it on the table. Sitting down finally the lawyer looked around the table at a few she had begun to call friends more than just allies. This was going to be a difficult case but one she felt was worth it.

“I was hoping you would, Miss Potts,” Jennifer said with her own mischievousness. Yeah…everyone here would get along just fine.


	3. One Text Message

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything comes full circle in the end...it was time for her work to pay off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To all my dear readers...I am so terribly sorry this has come so late. We are still in the process of moving which it taking a lot longer than we are hoping for. Due to some of the jobs we have, it is taking longer to get verification that 'hey we do in fact work here!' I was nearly out of my mind with stress and work has not been helping like it normally does. I can usually, work thing out of my system at work but it has been more of a pain than a help lately.
> 
> I am happy to get this up though I am not sure when the next part of this series will be posted as I am trying to finish up a bunch of the one shots I have nearly done and we may be moving here really soon but I will certainly try.
> 
> Also~ Thank you to **chibi_luna_chan** for suggesting a couple people to bring to the team. It also helped flesh out a little bit more of the back story as well. I hope I got the characterization correct and thanks again!

# One Text Message

Looking in the mirror Jennifer judged her appearance. She was going to SHIELD head quarters soon. They were going to having the Rogues show up today and it was already planned for her to show up a little bit late. An intimidation tactic that SHIELD was employing for her because having her there right away would throw up the groups shield and they would not be able to rip the rug out from under them. Normally, Jenn didn’t like working like this but she was not going to complain. It was better it happen this way instead of her getting angry and potentially hurting someone.

As she was debating on what exactly to wear he mind drifted back to what had all happened. They had gained several new allies and Avengers, not all were gained without some sort of fan fare though.

The most rememberable time was when she was running late…

**~~~*~~~**

The most of time Jennifer on time when it came to appointments. Today, however, she was late to her meeting with Tony. He said two potential allies would be coming over to discuss the accords. Unfortunately, Rhodey was busy that day with therapy and Vision had gone with him. Pepper was at a meeting with Happy being her body guard for the day. Spider-man was not present either as he had school. This meant Tony was dealing with these ‘allies’ on his own. He was still healing. For some reason or another, she was beginning to think more of her cousin’s behavior had begun to rub off on her. She was feeling paranoid-protective and told him she would drop by to make sure everything was okay.

On her way to the tower that day…well, there was a car accident and traffic was being directed in another direction. One that took longer to get to the tower. Cursing her luck the lawyer finally made it and was in the elevator when she asked FRIDAY how Tony was…only to get the reply that he was in medical. To say that Jennifer panicked was an understatement. She started swearing that if the two people Tony was supposed to meet with had any part in hurting the billionaire she was going to go off on them.

When the lawyer got there she was about ready to rip someone’s arm off. Looking around she found Tony on one of the gurneys. He had the ventilator back on so he couldn’t talk to her but Jenn made her way over to him. Two men in the room quickly moving away to give her room as she looked over Tony. Gently asking if he was okay and getting a positive response in the form of a thumbs up, Jennifer turned to the other men in the room and was glaring at them. She told them they better explain quickly or else she was going to be trouble. Letting a little green settle into her completion caused them to hurriedly explain.

Turns out who she was addressing were the two men that Tony was to meet with today. One of them was Dr. Stephen Strange. Once a renown surgeon turned Sorcerer Supreme, he was newer to fighting the forces of evil. As a surgeon Strange was a cocky s.o.b. but he was the best…it seems those characteristics have carried over into his new line of work though he is still getting the hang of magic. The other was another businessman by the name of Daniel ‘Danny’ Rand. The man normally appeared as a more chill type of guy but with what happened here he was a little more stressed.

They were told about the Accords needing an overhaul and that a major player in said overhaul was Stark. It wasn’t that they didn’t trust the man, as selfish and arrogant as he could be his track record of aiding people stood out against the rest of his record like a beacon. So both had set up a meeting with the man. Yet, because he was so busy Tony asked if he could meet them both at once. It was not anything out of their means and he set up the meeting for both to attend. When they got there however that is when things kinda went sideways.

At first, everything was fine. It was like any other business meeting. They were going over what Tony was meaning to have impacted and cut out of the Accords. He even made mention that a lot of the changes were brought up by the people he was working with, including a lawyer that they were sure they were looking at. They were indeed happy with a lot of the changes and were told others were being worked on and that is when Tony ended up pitching forward to grab onto his desk.

The motion of that was enough to get both Danny and Stephen jumping out of their seats and rounding the desk to get him. They tried to get out of him what was wrong but couldn’t, Stark was on the verge of blacking out. It wasn’t until FRIDAY, the one heading his security systems came over the speakers and told them they needed to get Stark to the Medical floor. He was having breathing problems and needed medical attention immediately. 

Not wasting any time, Danny scooped up the billionaire bridal style…not even getting a lick protest from the man. Not a good sign. Keeping a secure grip on him, the businessman frowned at the lightness of his temporary charge. Something was up. Instead of heading to the elevator Stephen opened a portal to the medical floor. It was easy enough to remember where it was as it was posted in the elevator and on the floor directory. After all, having medical facilities in the Tower you needed to make sure people know where they can get to them. They both ran through the portal.

The portal scared the hell out of the medical personal but saved them valuable time when it came to getting Stark help. Danny gently laid the genius down getting a good look at his face that was contorted in obvious pain. Both men backed off as the medical team came in and quickly got the billionaire hooked up to the ventilator. After a few moments, the pain began to fade from his face but it was obvious that it was still present in the way Stark’s body was taut. Not long after that, Jennifer came busting in and where they had not been introduced they knew who she was.

After getting the facts from them and being confirmed by FRIDAY, who they thought was just the one watching the security feed and she was not going to tell them differently either, Jennifer relaxed. Adjusting her stance into something less threatening she nodded and thanked them for helping Tony. They wanted to know what was wrong but she had reminded them it wasn’t their place to know or hers to tell. All she felt safe telling them was that Tony was in ongoing recovery due to sustained injuries. She was not going to tell them more.

It was obvious they wanted to know just what was going on but it wasn’t like they were going to go up against the She-Hulk in any form. 

Jennifer turned back to Tony and was helping get him situated a little bit better. The lawyer was asking FRIDAY if Pepper had been notified about Tony’s condition and the same with Rhodey. To which the ‘Security Officer’ was saying that both had been told and were on their way. Turning her attention back to Tony she asked if he had symptoms or if this was one of the sporadic ones that popped out of nowhere…for if it were the first one he would be in a load of trouble. FRIDAY piped up that his vitals were being monitored and at the time of the attack there were no symptoms to indicate he was going to have problems. The lawyer nodded, no lecture for Tony today.

Not too long after that Happy and Pepper burst into the room and were at Tony’s side in seconds. Jennifer took the time to fill them in on what happened and Pepper said she would get a hold of Dr. Cho to see what progress she had made. This was getting ever more serious. Jennifer knew of Dr. Cho from some of their previous discussions…if they had to bring her in it was obvious it was getting worse.

Pepper then asked for Jennifer to take care of the other two men as she and Happy stayed with Tony. The lawyer nodded and looked to them. She said she would escort them out of the building but Strange interrupted her asking if they could take the notes that Tony had initially given them. After all, it was the reason they were here. Looking over to the CEO who nodded Jennifer lead the men to the elevator and head back towards Tony’s office. Of course, now would be when they started talking again…asking questions.

“Is he really in that much pain?” Stephen asked, “Why isn’t he in a medical coma or bed rest?”

“Because of the amount of damage done to him…they are afraid they will lose him if they keep him under or stationary for longer than needed,” Jennifer replied. It was common knowledge that Tony had been hurt severely during the 'Civil War' so saying what she had...wasn't breaking too much confidence. It was only confirming that many people thought there was more damage done to the man with his lack of public appearances.

“Are you serious?” Danny asked searching for more information. That is when Jennifer cut them off. She would not jeopardize any more information than she already had.

“As much as I would like to tell you because I was honestly appalled when I found out, I am not going to violate the trust between not only Tony but the ones closest to him and myself,” Jennifer said with some finality to her voice, “Not only that we don’t wish to gain allies by trading private information. We want people to join us because it is right, not because of something that happened.”

There was silence in the elevator was palpable. Jennifer was counting the seconds until Danny interrupted. She kept her breathing steady as she listened to what the man had to say.

“Well…it looks like we’ll be looking into the Accords and how we can help,” Danny stated, “That is what we came here for, so that is where we’ll start.”

“I won’t lie, in the end, I do want to know what has put that man in such a condition but you are correct. It is best not to sway one’s opinion with past matters,” Dr. Strange said matter-of-factly. 

Jennifer nodded as the elevator door opened back to the floor where the whole situation started. She then proceeded to finish going over the Accords with the men, as they asked her to help walk them through some of the more complicated legalese before seeing them out. They both told her they would return when Stark was feeling better and might have a few more people with them who would have some opinion about the Accords. Strange also said if things were going to get worse to give Dr. Christine Palmer a call…stating she would be able to help. The lawyer wasn’t sure how but wrote down the information for the medical team.

After that, she returned to the med bay where she was unexpectedly hugged by Pepper. Looks like FRIDAY was a little tattle tale and showed them what was going on between Jennifer and the other men. The CEO was happy to have someone that strong on their side…someone who wouldn’t be pressured to move. Jennifer was also more than willing to be part of that wall. A task that very few were willing to take.

**~~~*~~~**

Smiling at that she recalled how the two men had stepped up to the challange to prove their points. Both had brought more people into the discussion for the Accords. With all of them together they had worked out a lot of the amendments in what she felt was record time. Not something she had been expecting but was wonderful for stress levels. It also meant that Tony was not being over worked as the only one working on these things allowing him, even more, time for recovery.

Danny brought his company into the plans for the New Avengers HQ. It surprised Pepper for certain but Rand-Meachum Inc. board members and Rand discussed it great detail. In the end, they feel they could benefit from the publicity as well as aid. There were also a few heroes he knew and were interested in discussing the Accord with. Only when Tony and Jennifer had time and the man at the head of this operation was feeling alright. To which both agreed and set some time aside to meet with this group. Jennifer had even found another friend in Jessica Jones, seeing as she was a friend of a friend that Danny knew.

Stephen was interested in the Accords, he was debating being a member of the Avengers but he felt he could aid whenever he was able. Maybe part-time status or even being an essential contact. That was still on the fence but he was looking into doing what he could to aid the Accords process. He also brought in Dr. Christine Palmer, not for the Accords but for Tony. She had received a call from Stark Medical employees to have her look over some x-rays, having a new set of eyes could certainly help. She immediately got ahold of Stephen who told her what he witnessed at the Tower that day…he felt someone with experience should be involved and gave them her contact information. The little information he received from her only told him he was right…

After that, things seemed to be going smoothly for a while. A couple months passed and between aiding with the Accords and building her case…they few by and next thing they knew Ross was taken care of. There was a now an effort to find a new Secretary of Defense that would uphold the position with dignity. That was out of her reach but it was one less thing weighing on her mind. Seeing as the case she was building against the previous Avengers was taking a good deal of her time, she didn’t know that soon she would be getting help…

**~~~*~~~**

Jennifer was at home, in her living room, going through her files. All of them. Any available surface had folders and videos, voice recordings also made their way in there. She was currently working through all the recorded SHIELD interaction that the former team had with Tony Stark, both from Tony’s previous system JARVIS and from the leaked SHIELD files. Now, it wasn’t a bad thing by any means to have this much evidence…however, for one person it was over whelming. Luckily, FRIDAY had worked her way onto the lawyer’s laptop and was helping organize everything.

When FRIDAY had reminded her what time it was…Jennifer realized she hadn’t eaten since this morning. Thank god it was one of her days off. Now came a major dilemma though…cook or order in? She was not like her cousin at all when it came to cooking. Not saying she couldn’t cook but she didn’t like that it took time away from her cases. So, picking up the phone, she ordered from her favorite pizza place and after she hung up told FRIDAY that Tony better not back door pay for her food again to which FRIDAY replied that she would never allow that to happen…sure, like the last five times wasn’t his or FRIDAY’s doing.

It took about 20 minutes before the lawyer heard someone knock on her door. Getting up she made her way to her purse and pulled out the cash for payment. Heading to the door, the lawyer looked through the peep-hole to see who was there. Seeing the hat from the pizza place she opening the door and came face to face with a blonde woman holding her pizza. Not what she was expecting…

“You…don't look like the pizza delivery boy I normally get,” Jennifer stated dully. Whoever this was, Jenn wasn't scared of. If she had to go She-Hulk on them she could no problem. She wanted to avoid that, for now, …after all her apartment building had more than just herself living in it. She had to think of the other people in the building.

“I’m not. Already paid him, tipped him double too,” the mystery blonde said simply, “I need to talk to you.”

“You couldn’t have just called or made an appointment?” the lawyer asked. The people she was getting to know were just getting stranger and stranger…

“Not when it concerns my cousin,” the blonde stated meeting Jennifer’s eyes with her own determined blue.

“Your cousin?” Jenn asked. She had a feeling she knew the ‘cousin’ she was talking about, however, she knew a lot of people so she wasn’t sure which one this woman was related to.

“Tony Stark is my cousin, I’m Sharon,” the woman stated with a small smile. Ah…that cousin…

“So you are the cousin he made mention of before…” Jenn sighed, “Get in here I want my pizza. I’m Jennifer by the by.”

Backing away from the door, she let the other woman in. The blonde handed her the pizza box and was lead to the living room. Jennifer sat down on her couch and set the box down next to her. Luckily, the sofa was clear of her organized clutter. She watched as Sharon looked over everything. She had a calculatory look in her eye as she looked over all the files. The lawyer had everything spread out on nearly every surface. The other woman had to pick up some of the files and set them out of the way for her to sit down in the chair. 

“So…Dr. Banner really did hire you to look after my cousin…” she stated. Jennifer was pretty certain that she didn’t mean it as she was actively watching Tony but doing what she could to give him time to recover.

What he needed time to recover from was not only his physical injuries but his mental and emotional ones. Being left to die in a desolate location was more than enough of a wake-up call. He was not appreciated in that group. In fact, she was pretty sure the only reason that they kept the man in their group because they could get him to spend his money on them. They just used him as if he could easily be replaced. So in the end getting the files she had needed was not difficult.

“I understand given my cousin’s track record it is a bit surprising to those who don’t know him but on this scale, I am really beginning to wonder.”

“No…not that,” Sharon said as she was looking over the case, “Unless they want something from Tony, no one has ever gone out of their way to help him. Part of me just didn’t believe it…”

There was nothing that she could say about that. Literally, the lawyer had mountains of proof in front of her that pretty much said that Sharon was correct. Tony was no stranger to getting used but he kept trying…kept placing himself out there thinking each time was gonna be different and getting let down each time. The Avengers only used him. SHIELD only used him, he made them work for it at least for that time. 

“I can understand that,” Jen said after a bite of pizza.

“Seeing is believing after all,” replied the spy.

“So, why are you here now instead of months ago?”

“I work for the CIA…I am normally on their schedule. I had an operation I was heading, couldn’t really make time to leave.”

“Enough said,” Jennifer waved the conversation off as she focused more on her pizza.

After a few moment of quiet eating, Sharon broke the silence once again.

“How far are you?”

“Well…” Jennifer sighed, “just got done sorting with FRIDAY’s help. Honestly, I don’t know where to start. As much as I would like to start with some of the petty stuff, like Romanov’s intrusion into Stark Industries. That would not get me very far this late in the game but could definitely be used to show her character when the trial comes around. So that one is off the table, same with going that far back. So basically, I am stuck with everything that happened during and after the Battle of New York.”

“When they started dealing with each other.”

“Yeah…I have some of the recordings from the Helicarriers but they were all edited,” the lawyer said. A good deal of her evidence for the time around when the Avengers were first formed came from the leak caused by Romanov and Rogers. 

“So you could use some of these?” Sharon asked as she dug out a few flash drives from her coat pocket.

“What?”

“These are from Tony’s God Father. He was part of SHIELD and where it wasn’t his job to keep track of records like this. He did to these specifically because Tony was involved he had to keep copies of everything. When he caught wind of someone trying to help Tony and when he found out exactly who was helping him and how…well he wishes to surrender these tapes and files for your case.”

“How?” The lawyer was speechless. Yes, it increased her work load but it would help with her cases immensely. She was currently working on a restraining order for the time being. It was the best option they currently had. The only reason for that is they don’t know when the other Avengers would be coming back. There is no if…it is down to when so they had to be prepared. Once she had a solid case for the restraining order, Jennifer would turn her attention to getting the results of such placed into a firmer order…so they could never come near Tony again unless the world was in dire straights. Even then it would be temporary and he wouldn’t be placed on the same team.

“His God Father is a spy…come on now, did you think Tony had any ordinary relatives?”

“Point taken.”

The rest of the night went on with Sharon and FRIDAY helping Jennifer get her notes together. Jenn was a bit skeptical about having a spy help her out but when she heard exactly what Sharon had done and the anger she had for the people she admired taking out her cousin. HER cousin. Her family. Jenn was careful, Sharon was a spy after all but at the same time, there was only very few emotions that could be faked. Anger to this extreme was one of them. That was the only reason she accepted the extra help.

FRIDAY did her part and order them more food as the hours passed, without telling them of course. She recorded their reactions to the spontaneous alerts at the doors for a later date. It was for posterity after all.

**~~~*~~~**

Months flew by…

…and a lot had happened.

SHIELD came back into play. This time headed by Maria Hill, one of the many Tony had been able to give a job too. She came back and where she wasn’t expecting anything she wanted to talk to Tony about everything going on. She was not there to recruit any of the SHIELD agents that had been ousted by Rogers and Romanov. She was giving the man a time frame for when Former-Director Fury and Agent Coulson would be back. That caused them to have a bit of a start. Yet, at the same time, it didn’t surprise them that much…spies after all.

Tony handled it with grace…and his army of able females by his side; Pepper, Sharon, and Jennifer herself. He told Maria he would let the agents in his employment know of the situation and if any of them felt the need to go back they could. Otherwise, the rest was welcome to stay there. Which in the end it was about a 50/50 split with more wishing to stay with Stark Industries and the rest want to be ready for the return of the Rogues…they didn’t want newbies showering them with the attention of either awe or disdain. Everything would have to be handled with precision. The ones that stayed with SI wanted to keep Stark protected in case everything went wrong. Tony was not in any condition to take care of himself so they would he his armor till he could don his own again.

The Official Avengers were growing as well. Besides the members of Iron Man, War Machine, Vision and herself, She-Hulk. Spider-man was put on reserves till he was of age and a couple other younger ones seeking membership and guidance followed his actions and got in touch with Iron Man…one way or another. Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel had been approved as an acceptable replacement for Captain America. She would be sharing Field Leadership with Stark and Rhodes when both were better because let’s be real when Tony was awake he was working on getting Rhodes walking again, till then she was keeping in constant contact with them for field missions. This was an important step. Sharing the leadership between three people made it possible when one or more was not in any condition to lead would keep everyone from falling apart.

Other members were accepted as well. Dr. Strange, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones and Lucas Cage were added to the roster. They were part time, like herself and were expected to take care of their own divisions/areas as well…being an Active Avenger would be when they were available. This also brought DareDevil in as contact and potential member. Hope Van Dyne also came out of the wood works. With what happened with the stolen Ant-man suit she was going to make sure that it wouldn’t do any more damage as well as to let the world know that Pym Technologies was not allowing what had happened and was also going to help back the New HQ. So, in the end, the roster had grown quite a bit with more Heroes applying for membership now that the Accords were ratified with the Amendments approved thanks to Tony, herself and a good few others.

Bruce finally called up Tony…FINALLY! He apologized over the phone and told him it was never his intention to saddle him with the entire fallout. It was so natural for him to run, he did it without thinking…and then he heard about the ‘Civil War’. He had been so angry when that happened the good doctor found a place where he could not be found and Hulked out because of the grief and anger he was feeling. It was after that, he contacted Jennifer…knowing his worries would not have been accepted at the time. Even he was mad at himself.

Tony took it in stride though, he asked Bruce where he was now. To which the man said he was helping out in Africa, somewhere in the Congo Republic. He was helping one of the outer lying towns…there had been in influx of animal attacks and an extra hand was needed. Tony just told him to make it to Brazzaville when he wanted to come home and that Tony would send some supplies and a better phone so he could text Jennifer when he needed to. Tony told the man to come home when he was ready…Bruce broke down on the other side of the line. Much to the surprise of Pepper, Happy and Rhodey who were monitoring the call.

Tony, on the other hand, was still in limbo. He was physically getting better but with how much his chest had been abused in the past years. With Dr. Cho and Dr. Palmer, they were doing what they could to figure out just what they could to help rebuild strength to the area. With reduced lung capacity and a good few of the ribs removed and then replaced with artificial ones that were fractured, it was a delicate situation. They were planning on a big surgery which would hopefully be the last as well. All the foreign particles they could remove had been and with Tony actually listening to the doctors…there was a high chance of him pulling through with little to no problems. Thank god.

For each and every thing that passed Jennifer made sure she was present and if needed she came in green. 

**~~~*~~~**

That lead up to where she was right now. Months of silence now broken. Jennifer was staring at her closet as she was deciding just what outfit would be the most intimidating. 

With Sharon’s help, the lawyer quickly got together evidence for a restraining order relatively quickly. However, she couldn’t take it to a judge or anything till she knew the Rogues would be back…after all they only lasted two weeks max till the court date. So there was no use taking them to said, judge. However, she was in contact with the courts to let them know she had evidence pending for a restraining order…that she would be there when who they were to be served against were back in the country.

Then it was a waiting game…till she got a phone call one day.

Having got word from someone named Coulson, who she figured was Philip Coulson who supposedly was dead but now isn’t…a running theme for high ranking SHIELD agents it seems. The Rogues were due back in a couple days and would be landing in the evening. As good as it was for the heads up…it did nothing for her during breakfast. As she was having it with Jessica and Hope who gave her worried glances as she hastily excused herself, to make sure her files were still in order.

Finally, the day came.

The lawyer had been not nervous but antsy the enter day that the rest of the Official Avengers had staged a little bit of an intervention. They knew something was up and they wanted to know exactly what had her in a tizzy. She told them point blank it wasn’t her place to tell them but she was involved and if they wanted to know they would have to talk to someone else. Carol decisively told her they would speak to whomever they had to if that was needed. So Jennifer called Colonel Rhodes and told him what was going on…he said he would be there in twenty with Pepper, leaving Happy to stay with Tony and Spider-ling.

When Potts and Rhodes entered the room…the conclusion was quickly drawn that it had something to do with Tony. All of them now fearing what exactly it was about after all Tony had been prepped for surgery earlier. Carol headed up the conversation and Pepper stated that it was with Tony’s permission that it was alright to share everything with them now that they are working together as a functioning unit. He didn’t want what happened to him being a deciding factor for anything. The Official Avengers agreed with that but were now worried.

Pepper and Rhodes told them about what happened in Siberia that placed Tony into such a fragile state to where no one knew if he would wake up the next morning. They told them about the abuse he had suffered by the Avengers' hands and how the only Avenger that was trying to do anything about it was Bruce Banner. The explanation of just what Jennifer was hired to do astounded them. With permission and help from Tony and his friends and family, the lawyer builds a case and was ready with the restringing orders and the charges that would make them permeant.

The team was aghast and some didn’t want to believe it but when faced with the evidence…the horror changed to anger. It was very detailed and the timeline was unbelievably perfect thanks to Jennifer and her slightly OCD ways when she had time to prepare a case. Tony Stark had his flaws, yes, but there was a good man trying his best to make up for what his past had caused. Then there were the injuries he had to come clean about that made the situation worse. So they learned about Afghanistan, the poisoning, how SHIELD was involved and what happened after the Mandarin Incident…Did the world just actively hate on Tony Stark or what?

The Official Avengers were not just going to let this stand by. Jones said she would take Jennifer to the meeting if there were any problems Strange would be standing by if he heard anything from FRIDAY and would portal anyone they needed over there. He also went out of his way to contact SHIELD in order to place Wards where ever the Rogues were going to be kept…just in case. Precautions had to be met with how violate these supposed heroes had a track record of being. So making sure people were prepared was step one. There had to be more…that was when Rhodes brought up the suggestion of shutting down the weapons the others had for he had a feeling they wouldn’t turn them over. That…confused a couple people…was that possible?

After Rhodes stated it was, in fact, something they could do a vote was taken. They came to the decision to activate the protocol that would destroy the gear that had been used against Iron Man. The protocol code was placed into every piece of gear but there was a program to go with it. The protocol code had an ID number with every piece of gear that Tony made. So, in the end, they only had to enter the ID number into the program and FRIDAY would activate it when she was in range. It was set up this way so that it didn’t destroy everything. Seeing as she was in Jennifer’s phone as well…all Jennifer had to do was call FRIDAY and riddle off the activation code for the program and her Avengers Status. FRIDAY would do the rest. After all, it was StarkTech and they already had legal forms to back it.

That all lead to the dilemma she was facing right now. What she was going to wear. It might sound silly but psychologically it was important. She had to appear in control, professional and a step ahead. The right clothing would send a subliminal message to the ones who saw her and could keep the ball in her court a few seconds longer. Those seconds she could use to keep them off their game.

Jessica and Sharon were waiting for her. Jessica had already stated that she was taking Jenn to the meeting and when Sharon caught wind of what was going on she offered to go as back-up inside SHIELD HQ. It was an extra precaution after all…Avengers don’t let anyone go in alone and Sharon had her cousin’s honor to defend, as she put it. Now they were waiting outside in the car for a very indecisive lawyer. 

Everything Jennifer picked out…just didn’t feel right or look right when dealing with a group of people who thought so highly of themselves. As she was looking in the mirror, scenarios were going through her head on just how they would react to seeing her. She felt they would try to dismiss her in every outfit she chose. It wasn’t her fault she was more on the slender side and seen as someone easy to push around…and she would not have any of that.

“Screw this…” she muttered taking off what she had been wearing and putting on what would grow with her. She came to a final choice.

She was going in green.

**~~~*~~~**

Well…you learn something new every day. Former-Director Fury walked her to the exit and once more told her to let his God Son know he would be dropping by soon. This time, however, he gave her a time frame of a few days. That kinda blew her out of the water and made her question if the heads of SHIELD and Tony had a game going on for longer than anyone knew. She had originally thought it was that SHIELD manipulating Tony for his brains and money but as it turned out Fury, Coulson and Hill were in cahoots with Tony. They played off each other and a good thing too because the Avengers failed the tests that had placed in front of them. 

She might have to reformat her case a little bit.

Walking to the car she saw Jessica waiting for her giving her a little wave as the She-Hulk made her way to the car. Leave it to Tony to have a car that could sustain her hulk form without breaking down. Jones seemed to just be blissful driving it, Jenn had to admit it was a work of art.

“How’d it go?” Jess asked as Jenn took to the passenger seat, carefully reaching over to set her case in the back of the car. Redwing was still perched on her shoulder and moved to the headrest of the back seats so he wouldn’t become damaged by accident.

“It went well enough…they didn’t want to hand over the gear but FRIDAY took care of that,” she replied.

“It was a pleasure to be of service, Miss Walters,” FRIDAY’s voice stated over the car speakers, getting both women to smile, “I am also happy to be back in contact with Redwing. I have missed him dearly.”

“I sure of that,” Jenn replied honestly. Nearly living with Tony like she had, Jennifer could see how much these A.I.s were a lot more human than they let on.

Taking out her phone she proceeded to let her client and cousin know that it finally happened. Bruce mad made mention about being back when the Former Avengers came back. He wanted to be there for Tony when the court dates came around…the Other Guy missed him terribly as well. So Jenn had promised to let him know and texting was the safest thing at the moment…she didn’t know if he was asleep or out taking care of someone but he would be notified.

‘Hey cuz, the papers are served. I’ll see you when you get back.’ - Jenn

As they were driving away…the lawyer had a feeling they were forgetting something important. What it was slipped her mind for only a little bit…

“Oh no,” Jenn stated sharply.

“What’s wrong?” Jessica said slamming on the breaks. They hadn’t forgotten anything, had they?

“I lost Sharon,” Jenn stated as she turned to Jessica with some horror on her face. Both women were silent for a moment. It would not bide well if they left without the blonde…but they couldn’t exactly go in and get her either. SHIELD was not something they wanted to deal with more than necessary. She couldn’t believe she lost Sharon. As She-Hulk was going over her options the detective coughed and brought the lawyers attention back to her. 

“There is a Thai place close by…wanna get some takeout and come back and wait?” Jessica said simply. 

Of course…they would probably have to wait till the blonde came out on her own or was ‘escorted’ out of the base. So much for Sharon behaving on the trip. Jennifer knew the CIA agent had a chip on her shoulder with what happened to her cousin…and forgot that she also had more than enough spy training to slip away and not be noticed by anyone. Dammit all, so much for having a quiet night.

Going over everything in her head, Jennifer concluded that they probably wouldn’t even be waiting all that long either. The likelihood that Sharon would be escorted to wherever they were holding the Ex-Vengers was high as well…seeing as most of those agents had been helped by Tony. Just Jennifer’s luck Sharon had this all planned out before they even came here. Like an inside operation for revenge. There would more than likely be no video proof either if the blonde was playing her cards right…

Well…Thai DID sound good.

“I don’t think we have much a choice,” Jennifer said with a hapless laugh, “Tony was right when he said she was a slippery one. Dear lord, let’s get food. I have a feeling it will be a little bit before she comes back out. I’m not missing dinner because of her.”

Jessica smirked a bit and put the car back into gear, food to start and hey, maybe they will wager a few bets on just who would be mangled the most when Sharon came out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there is the last bit for this fic.
> 
> I am still not sure who I want the other young ones to be when I can figure that out there may be a fic in this series dedicated to them as I have some scenarios running around in my head. If there are favorites out there feel free to let me know. There may be even more on the roster as well when I feel confident enough to use other characters.
> 
> Thank you all for reading! I look forward to getting feedback, suggestions or just letting me know you liked it. If not that's alright too ^^


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